The Cost of Victory
by TrueManevolanGirl4899
Summary: The thousand year cycle is almost complete. It's time for Niki to regenerate again. But every time she regenerates, she becomes both extremely dangerous and exceptionally vulnerable until she chooses a side to fight for. But with a new villain on the rise, which side will manage to gain her loyalty first? Good or Evil?
1. The Girl with Purple Hair

**Hey peoples! Happy belated Easter! I'm back from vacation and ready to write!**

**A few notes:**

**I do not own Rise of the Guardians. If I did, I would then become a mad scientist, trying to make it real life.**

**Second, Niki's name is pronounced "Ni-kee", like the shoe brand. Except I didn't name her after footwear. Niki means victory in Greek, and the Greek spirit/goddess of victory was named Niki. So that's where her name comes from.**

**Lastly, thank you so much for reading! I would really appreciate it if you could just take a minute to tell me what you think. For those of you who have read 'Broken Within', this story IS NOT related to that story, and you guys already know that my updating "schedule" is rather sporadic. For those of you who are new, welcome to my Fun House… (evil laugh)**

**So, now, without further ado, I give you…**

**Chapter 1:**

* * *

Once, there was time before all that we know now was there. Nothing, from the first Guardian, to the Man in the Moon, could be found, because they were not alive to be found. In this time, before the Man in the Moon, was his predecessor; his father, Time.

Time lived to battle the Evil. He was powerful, but old. So old in fact, that he felt his strength waning. He knew that he couldn't last much longer. Before he passed, however, he wanted to do something to help the Good in the world. He wanted to create a being that could help immensely in helping the Good battle the Evil. He wanted to create something so powerful, that it _couldn't _possibly be created. So he made a compromise: the thing that he would create wouldn't be solely good or solely bad, but it would choose. It would have immense power, but that power would only be activated once it chose a side. And, to keep things fair, the creature would have to "regenerate" after a while, to give the other side a chance. Thus, Time created seconds, minutes, hours, days, months, and years, naming it after himself: time.

Time took many precautions when making his final masterpiece, to ensure that the creature wouldn't entirely be uncontrollable, or if the creature was persuaded to join with Evil, then the Good would have a chance again later to convince it to join the fight against Evil. The creature, he decided, would regenerate once every one thousand years, which would later be called millennia. When it regenerated, it would lose all memories of the millennia before, including all views, attachments, and all previous thoughts until it joined a side. Once it joined a side, either Good or Evil, it would be able to choose whether it wanted to remember its past lives or not. Also, the thing would be completely vulnerable and without any powers until it joined a side. When it did, the creature would gain its full powers, with or without memories, and continue to fight until the end of the millennia. Time geared everything for this creation of his. He made sure that his son, later known as the Man in the Moon, knew everything there was to know about the creature and that he would be in exactly the right place at the right time to convince it to join with Good.

As Time, neared his final days, he sank into a deep sleep and he gave everything he had left into creating his masterpiece. He had seen humans and intended to model the creature after the strongest of them. The male ones; the tall one with muscle to spare. But when he awoke on his final day of life as a being, he got a shock: the creature that he had created was a small, skinny, female creature, looking only to be, on his new scale of 'time', 15 years of age, if he judged correctly.

She disappeared before he could do anything about it, appearing where the future Man in the Moon was waiting to convince the creature to fight for Good, and the cycle began. She awoke as Time breathed his last and was convinced to join Good for her first millennia of life. She was mentored by the Man in the Moon in his palace which he had built on the small ball of rock and dust that he promptly named 'the Moon'. She became like a sister to him and watched as he created the first Guardian of Childhood: the small yellow man she nicknamed Sandy. Nearing the end of the millennia, she put a lot into pushing down Evil, just in case something happened. MiM assured her that everything would be fine; that he would be able to convince her to join Good without any trouble, she would regain her memories and powers, and she could continue her studies with him, fighting Evil like she was meant to do.

But something went wrong. This time, when she regenerated on Earth, a man named Pitch Black got to her first. He was a being of Evil, with a quick tongue and persuasive words. She was convinced to join Evil, but rejected her memories. MiM watched in horror as she unleashed her powers on Good. MiM was forced to create other Guardians (Nicholas St. North, E. Aster Bunnymund, and Queen Toothiana) to fight her and protect the children he watched over with a careful eye. She was too powerful, however, and the times that followed were called the Dark Ages, because of the darkness and Evil that dwelt in them. When she regenerated, MiM made sure that no mistake was made like the time before, and she joined the Good. She accepted her memories this time and was traumatized to learn of the terror she had unleashed upon the humans. The Guardians regarded her with caution, and avoided her as much as they could, except when they were helping MiM to convince to join their fight.

Every time after that, Good obtained her loyalty first, as intended by Time when he created her, and again, the cycle continued like it was supposed to. But there was a flaw. You see, Time never meant for her to last this long. As time went on, the magic that bound her to the thousand-year cycle started to wear off. Little by little, it weakened. Once in a while, a memory would slip through of her previous life before she chose a side, sometimes influencing her choice to fight for Good. Other times, she would regenerate an hour early or an hour late. She took no notice of this, but MiM did, and it troubled him. He pondered calling the girl back to his palace instead of letting her remain on Earth, but when he asked her to come, she did something she had never done before: she refused to comply. It was after this that they began to grow further apart, yet she never forgot her fondness for her "brother", as she had come to think of him.

Thousands of years, a battle with Pitch, and a new Guardian later, she is still fighting for Good, though she does not keep close contact with the other Guardians anymore. The end of the millennia is nearing and she is preparing to lose all of her memories. She is aware that when she regenerates, that she will be a danger to everyone and everything until she chooses a side to fight for. But she is getting tired of it. Everything is getting old. She has been alive for millions of years, which translates into hundreds of thousands of millennia. Just once, she wants to be able to not have to lose her memories and have to go through the entire process of being persuaded to join Good. Again.

This is Niki's story.

* * *

_Niki's POV**_

First off, let's get some things straight:

Pitch Black is my enemy.

The Guardians don't particularly like me.

I'm older than you are.

_(A lot_ older.)

And I'm currently infatuated by two small children I've discovered.

Jamie and Sophie are their names. This brother and sister duo is unlike any other I've ever seen. And I've seen a lot. The boy, Jamie, is a smart kid, and like me, loves books. Difference is that I speak, write, and read in hundreds of languages. I'm pretty sure Jamie knows just the one. Sophie is his younger sister she's got to be the cutest kid on Earth. Jamie has brown, tussled hair that looks like he's just woken up, and I get the feeling that it always looks that way. His eyes are light with fun and the wonder of learning. Sophie has long, uneven blond hair that looks like she cut it herself, which I used to do. She has these big blue eyes that I feel will be a dangerous, yet useful, tool in her hands once she learns to master the puppy-dog look.

This is what those Guardians live for. To see the joy, wonder, excitement, and fun on these children's faces and to make sure it never leaves. But that's not the reason they exist.

I look down from my perch in the tree at the two kids playing. They're waiting for him. Jack Frost. Newest Guardian and the only Guardian that wasn't created purely out of need to stop me. I don't even know if he knows who I am. But I know who he is. And it's obvious these kids look up to him as some kind of fantastic role model. I smile as I think about the few children I've truly gotten to know. And then a shiver runs through me as I remember their ends. Because of me.

I imagine a staircase leading down from the tree and step down slowly. It's for the best that I separated from the kids, the Guardians, and _him._

I feel the wind brush past me and know it's time to disappear. I imagine a portal and jump in quickly before he arrives. The air rushes past me for a moment, and then I land. Home sweet home.

My cave. With a door. That I installed myself.

You can do a lot with imagination.

* * *

_Jack's POV**_

"What do you guys want to do today?" I ask Jamie and Sophie.

"Tag! Tag!" Sophie jumps up and down excitedly.

Jamie shrugs. "Sure, if she wants to, but I really don't feel like playing tag right now."

Alert! Alert! Jamie _loves_ tag.

I ask carefully, "Is there something else you'd like to do?"

"Well, maybe we could go see if we could find the girl."

"The girl? What girl?"

"The pretty one who sits up in that tree sometimes and watches me and Sophie. The one with the long black hair that looks dark, shimmery purple when the sun hits it."

"Purple hair?"

"And eyes. Though her eyes I'd describe of more as an amethyst-type color."

"Oh."

"I don't think she knows we can see her. She was here actually a minute ago before you came."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Her face looks like she's maybe about 15. There's a girl in high school down the street who watches me and Sophie sometimes and she's 16. But this girl is much smaller than any of the other high schoolers I've seen."

This seems odd. I frown. "Hey, Jamie, Sophie, would it be okay if I came back later to play? Maybe tomorrow? I need to talk to North about something, alright?"

"Sure, Jack. See you!"

"Bye!" I smiled, but it wasn't entirely sincere as I kicked off the ground into the air flying at full speed. I needed to get to the North Pole quickly. If anyone would know who this spirit was, it'd be North.

* * *

_? POV**_

All good things to those who wait. That is how it goes.

I have waited. And I will win. This time I will win.

* * *

**So, QUESTION TIME!**

**1) ****What do you think of Niki's character? Anything to add/change about her power? Especially add?**

**2) ****Bad guy. Still undecided who exactly that should be and how they will be connected with Niki. Any ideas you have would be AWESOME. (Except Pitch, 'cause I'm kind of attached to that guy)**

**Thanks again so much for reading! Love you all!**

**TMG4899**


	2. Really Bad

**Hi! I'm back, and with a follow! Special shout out to an old follow-friend of mine, Mysty Star (knew I recognized that name) for my first follow! And then again to AnnaNymose for always being there to help me and encourage me with all my ideas, a first in my life! Thank you so much!**

**If you are a RotG fanfic fanatic, like myself, then I highly suggest that you take a look at AnnaNymose's stories. Seriously, they're awesome!**

**And now, the moment you've all been waiting for:**

**Chapter 2(loud cheering and clapping in background):**

_3__rd__ Person POV**_

"I'm telling you, that's what they said. Purple hair, purple eyes, small, and in a tree." Jack argued.

"Not possible. She has long since gone under the blanket-"

"You mean under cover?"

"Es what I said. She has not come out for years and years."

"Who, though? You're not telling me _who_ this is you're talking about?"

North starts muttering to himself, "It is nearing the end of the millennia… must remind the others…" as he walks off.

Jack sighs, knowing by now that it's useless to get his attention now. Maybe Tooth will tell him…

_3 hours later**_

"… And of course you know about the importance of the lateral incisor! Look at the perfection of this darling tooth!"

When Tooth turned her back, Jack risked rolling his eyes.

_This_ was going to take a while.

_Niki's POV**_

Sometimes I wonder if there's a way to cheat it. The magic that holds me to the cycle is very strong and very powerful; heck, it's what did my creator in. It's what he poured the last few years of his life into. Then gave me to _him_. The man I called brother for so many years. The man who taught me pretty much everything I know about my power so far. Sure, over the years I've experimented and discovered a few more things, but the majority I learned from him. From the Man in the Moon.

My preparation to lose my memories always consists of a few things. First off, I throw everything I have at the Evil, hoping it will stay down until I choose Good again. Second, I have to visit the Guardians. It's required; a rule made by MiM after the Dark Ages, that forces me to speak to them before the millennia ends to sort out details: Where I might regenerate, threats to watch out for, etcetera, etcetera.

You see, people think that the _Guardians_ are the ones who fight Evil, and while I believe that, with Jack, they are semi-capable, I do most of the work, leaving them the minor stuff. Take the battle with Pitch Black a year ago for example: I'd already defeated him once before, right after I'd regenerated after the Dark Ages. I was mad that I did all those things and I took it out on him. He was a lot more powerful back then and when I crushed him, he lost a lot of power. So when he came back, I knew he didn't pose that much of a threat because if it did get to the point where the Guardians couldn't handle it, I would step in. That's when Jack Frost impressed me.

I stand, quite finished with my musings for the day and stretch. Then tense. I hear sleigh bells.

"Oh, nooo…" I groan.

I have never let them see my home. Pretty sure they don't even know exactly where it is. But they have an idea. So on the rare occasion that they come to see me, they just come to the general area and hunt me down (not literally). Whenever this happens, I usually have time to fly in an opposite direction, throwing them off the scent. But I don't have time now-

"Niki!"

North. And he's standing precariously close to my cave. I cringe as I imagine a wall fly up around him, boxing him in.

"Sorry, North!" I call out, hopping down from the top of the cave to step on the wall. "A little too close for comfort."

"Es… alright." He says, looking up at me, eyes wary. "End of millennia is nearing. You are prepared?"

"Um, almost."

"You have been watching Jamie and Sophie?"

"How- You know what, it doesn't matter. Yeah, they're great kids."

"Do not hurt them."

"North, we've been over this before. I will not talk to them, nor get within touching distance of them. I don't want to hurt anyone."

North nods in agreement.

I imagine him, myself, and the sleigh appearing about a mile away. The walls are gone and I sit on a rock behind me while North watches me.

"Niki-"

"It's under control, North. I know what I'm doing. This isn't my first time regenerating."

"Well, if you need help-"

"No."

"…"

"… Thank you, though."

"All right, then. I'll just be going."

"Good bye."

I imagine myself back at my cave, leaving North behind with his sleigh. I melt through the wall of ivy as I open the door and let myself in to my cave.

_Jack POV**_

"North." I say, a bit irritated. No one's given me an answer yet.

"Yes, Jack?"

"_Who is she?_"

"Who?"

"The girl with purple hair!"

"Oh, yes, Niki. Strange child."

"Niki."

"Yes, Niki."

"Well…?"

"She es old, old spirit."

"Uh-huh. I got that. But who exactly is Niki?"

"Jack, you must understand, even we do not know much about this girl. She was not created by MiM," North says, to me.

But, that's not possible. Every spirit was created by MiM. My shock apparently shows on my face.

"Niki was created for special purpose. To fight Evil."

"Aren't we all?"

"No, Jack, that es different. We were specifically created to protect ze children. Niki was created to protect all children, adults and other spirits alike."

"Huh, big responsibility."

"Every one thousand years, Niki regenerates. When she regenerates, she loses all powers and memories until she chooses a side to fight for: Good or Evil. Once Niki chooses, she has the option to regain her memories or not."

"Has she ever chosen Evil?"

"Once. The second time she regenerated. It vas… not good."

"Tha's the understatement of the century. Niki is dangerous and she can't be trusted."

The Easter Kangaroo growls behind us.

"Bunny! Ve do not know that!"

"Take my word for it. Whetha' she chooses Good or Evil, she always messes up."

"Oh, come on! She really can't be that bad!" I protest.

_Niki's POV**_

"This is bad. I mean really, really bad, like, shoot-me-and-laugh kind of bad."

"That bad, huh?" the spirit I was currently standing next to, my old "acquaintance" Day, says while chewing what I think is popcorn.

"You don't even know the half of it. My powers can't be gone already! It's not due to happen for another week!" I close my eyes and try to feel the power I'm so used to surging in through my blood, but I sense nothing.

"Try again, you must be hallucinating."

"No, Day, I'm pretty sure I'm not, because hallucinating _is_ my power. Or at least, it's closely related to that."

"Well go find someone who you can ask. There's got to be someone you know who just happens to have a large extensive library and knowledge and powerful friends and who may just happen to live up at the North Pole."

"Are you crazy?" I stare at her and she rolls her eyes.

"Always so dramatic," she mutters.

"There is no way I'm going to ask North for help. Any of the Guardians, for that matter!"

"What about Jack Frost? He's pretty cute."

"Day Light! Please, just shut up. You're not helping."

She shrugs.

"Whatever. Hey, I gotta fly. See ya 'round!"

I sigh and shake my head. This is _so _not happening.

* * *

**Hey people! Shorter chapter, but I figured I'd give you guys ****_something_**** to read while I muse about my latest stories! I hope to have another one out soon, and you, my reviwers, are awesome for hanging in there while I deal with my crazy life! Thanks for reading!**

**Love,**

**TMG4899**


	3. Done With Walking

**Hi everyone! Guess who decided to update! That's right, ME! Sorry for making you wait so long and I could give you a ton of excuses but none of them make up for Niki's absence. So, now to thank people (you guys really do keep me going):**

**bookworm: No, nothing at all, though there WILL be a sequel for that story, trust me. I've started thinking about it, but will not post it until this one is finished.**

**AnnaNymose: Thank you! You are so encouraging to me and my imagination!**

**crystallica81: Why, thank you, I consider Niki to be pretty cool as well.**

**FunnelcakeIceblue: Ah, my old friend. No, her powers don't include time travel, though that would pretty awesome. I have a feeling though, that if they did, there would be some things Niki would like change, no matter what the rules of time travel state. **

**And my followers/favoriters:**

**crystallica81, AnnaNymose, Mystystar, and fantasyinfinity.**

**Alright, glad to have that off my chest, and sorry for the long A/N, however, now we can get to the point you have all been waiting for… CHAPTER 3!**

* * *

Let me start off with some advice. If you ever lose your magic (though I'm not sure why you'd have magic in the first place), and your magic was your chief means of travel, then before doing anything else, obtain some other means of travel. Especially if you're directionally null.

I have been walking for three stinking hours, trying to find a Guardian (Yes, I listened to Day's advice. Tell her, and you're dead).

At first I was all ambitious, like "I'm gonna walk to the North Pole!"

Yeah, that one was over before it even started. So I tried something different: "I'm gonna walk to…" this is me, trying to think about a Guardian's home that I could actually reach, "um, the Tooth Palace." (Note that my tone is not quite so chipper anymore.)

This one, despite me having no idea where it was, took 27 minutes to die out, and by time my feet were starting to hurt.

"The Warren! I'll walk to the Warren." I still had no idea where that is, but I walked for 2 ½ hours before falling on my face and screaming : "Heck with it all! I'm not walking another step! Hey, MiM! Send one of your freaking Guardians out here. I'm not finding them! Let them find me!"

So that's where I am right now, laying on ground, in the middle of a (cold and snowy) forest, lost, and panting from my outburst.

"Feel better?"

"Yeah, actually- WHAT THE-" I jumped up and spun around, searching for him.

"As always, Niki, your dulcet tones are music to my ears."

It's Pitch Black. Just my luck.

"You better show yourself this instant, or I swear-" I threatened the darkness.

"You'll do what? Your magic is gone, isn't it?" He taunted me.

"Doesn't matter. I could probably find a stick and beat you over the head with it." To prove my point, I picked up a thick branch and waved it above my head, "Like this one here."

"Your ideas are constantly shocking me in their originality and elegance."

"You don't know half the brilliant ideas I've had."

"I doubt that."

"What do you want?" I said, fed up with this conversation. This was getting me nowhere.

"Just thought I'd drop in and let you know that Jack Frost is freezing a town not half a mile West of here."

"Right, and West would be…?" I questioned.

An irate sigh, then hands on my shoulders spun me towards around in a half circle to my left. "That way, Niki."

"Okay, well, just know that the next time I meet, I will kill you."

"Unless I get to you first." He references my regeneration.

"Don't even joke about that, Pitch Black."

He gives a small laugh.

"Good evening," he says before he disappears.

I look up at MiM, who seems a bit dimmer. "Well, if you didn't want me talking to him, then you should have helped me earlier. Now, I've got a Guardian to find, no thanks to you."

* * *

_In a cave, somewhere**_

"Did it work?" The scratchy voice questions.

"Yes, Niki is defenseless." A young, youthful voice answers him, sounding delighted.

"You are sure?" There is doubt in the voice.

"I saw her myself. She is on foot, and by now will have taken the bait we set for her."

"You know, I do believe you are the best partner I've ever had." The scratchy voice praises the other.

"Thank you, that means much to me."

"Now, prepare for stage 2. You won't need to take many with you. If Niki is truly defenseless, as you have said, then she will not be hard to beat."

"Of course, shall I meet you back here?"

"No, I think not. Meet me at camp with our guest when you have her and in the meanwhile, I will be preparing her _accommodations._"

* * *

_Niki's POV**_

"I thought he said it would be close. 'Not half a mile' he said. Well, he is a liar, says I, and the next time- Oh." I stumble out of the trees and see a village straight ahead of me, which is indeed covered with ice.

It would seem that I came out right on the edge, and the glow of the lanterns stopped just before my feet. It is small and very secluded, more of something you would imagine in the 1800s or around there.

A few people mull around, dressed warmly or chatting merrily. Watching them, I shiver.

I start as a voice from above me says, "Are you… Niki, by any chance?"

There is a boy, about 17 or 18, floating above me, at least ten feet off the ground. His hair is white, and he's wearing tan pants and a light blue sweat shirt that looks like the shoulders are covered in frost. His eyes are piercing blue, and his skin is deathly pale.

I look up. "Are you Jack Frost?"

"Yeah."

"Then yes, I am Niki." I concede.

"I've heard about you." He says.

"Most have." I shrug; half because this is unsurprising news, and half because of cold. The T-shirt, light jacket, and capris I'm wearing (all in different shades of purple, or black) are doing nothing against the cold Jack has brought with him.

"You live around here?" He asks me.

"I can't tell you." I state, matter-of-factly.

"Can I help you?"

"Yes, actually. I need to get a message to North." I answer.

"At your service," he says, mock-bowing as he floats down towards the ground.

"Tell North to meet me- Where are we?" I inquire, revealing to him that I'm lost.

"I think we're somewhere in Canada."

"Tell North to meet me 'somewhere in Canada' as soon as he can."

"Sure. You planning on just hanging around 'till he gets here?" he asks.

"Pretty much, I've got nothing better to do."

"Cool-" he stops and his eyes flicker behind me. "You may want to rethink that decision." His voice is nervous.

I groan. "What is it _now_?"

"Skeletons."

I start to threaten him, "Jack Frost, if you're pulling my leg-"

"No, seriously. They're standing right behind you, in the tree line. Can you take them?"

"I can't take anything right now." Normally, I would never reveal that I'm vulnerable to a stranger; however A) I'm in a very dangerous situation where I could possibly lose a limb or my life and B) he's a Guardian.

"What do you mean?" Great, I've confused him.

"That's why I need to talk to North. However, if you go get help, I can lead them away from the village."

"How?" Jack now looks concerned.

"My feet may be tired, but seeing as this is a life or death situation, I can run." Duh.

"For how long?"

"Long enough. Go!"

"Wait, wha-"

I took off running into the trees.


End file.
